Cigarette case and server



July 15, 1941.

M. LEVY ETA CI'GARETTE CASE AND SERVER Filed Aug. 29, 1940 INVENTORS 5 13 Max Lew/1y, g Haber! ank,

ATTO EY Patented July 15, i941 CIGARETTE CASE AND SERVER Max Levy at Robert I. Shank, New York, N. Y.,- assignors to Shanley Products Corp, New York, N. Y, a corporation of New York Application August 29, 1949, Serial No. 354,655

(Cl. ace-4.1.2)

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a pocket cigarette case and server, and its principal object is to provide an article of this kind which may be quickly and conveniently converted to either a condition for normal retention within a garment pocket or a state wherein the cigarettes may be therewith individually retained and exposed for service, permitting any cigarette of thequantity to be selected and withdrawn from the case with convenience.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of the cigarette case of the invention, showing it as it appears when in open state for service.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the case, showing it as it appears when collapsed for closure of the cigarettes or retention of the case within a packet.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the cigarette case, as it appears when in the condition illustrated in Fig, 2.

Figs. 4, 5 are views showing details of the invention.

The cigarette case i comprises a pair of receptacles 2 each of which has a wall 3 and superposed thereover a series of individual finger-like cigarette retainers l, preferably five in number. Each of the retainers i is formed fiat upon its exterior side 5 and concave upon its interior side 6 in conformity with the cigarette 7, whereby the latter is efiiciently retained between it and. the wall 3, and may he therefore conveniently inserted thereinto and withdrawn therefrom. The retainers 4 of either of the receptacles 2 are located in alignment with the spaces 6 intervening between the retainers of the other receptacle, and the said receptacles are hinged to each other by means of pintles 9 passing through cooperating end-ears H3 thereof, whereby the receptacles may be swung about these hingings to a collapsed or closed state, illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, in which condition they are in alignment, with their walls 3 flush with each other on one side of the case, and all their retainers t having their sides 5 all flush with each other and constituting the opposite side oi the case. Or, the receptacles 2 may be swung about their hingings to a position angularly with each other, as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which condition the retainers 4 of either receptacle project through, finger-like, the

intervening spaces 8 of the other, thereby indi a spring i I wound therearound, the terminal portions E2 of which bear upon the receptacles 2, as shown, and thereby normally compel the receptacles to collapsingly close up to the condition illustrated in' Figs. 2, 3, for enclosure of the cigarettes, closure of the case, and retention of the latter with a pocket.

When it is desired to extract. a cigarette from the case, for personal withdrawal or for service, the case i is grasped by the hand, so that the thumb bears upon the end it of one of the receptacles 2 and the remaining fingers around the corresponding end of the other, whereupon the said receptacles are'swung about their hingings to the condition shown in Fig. l, contrary to tension of springs .l L'for projected disposal of retainerst and convenient selection of any one of thecigarettes. The cigarette case is provided with a locking bar I l having bent terminals l5, and each of the receptacles 2 has formed in its exterior an indentation It. Should it be desired to maintain the case i in its opened condition illustrated in Fig. l, as when serving the cigarettes at a table, the bar M is mounted across the cas with its terminals H5 in engagement with the indentations it, in which manner the receptacles 2 are held in interlocked state, until removal of the bar it and automatic reclosure of the case by action of springs II. Each of receptacles 2 is provided with lugs l'l, against which the terminals of retainers 4 abut upon closure of the case, to insure the parallelism of the retainers with the walls 3 for efiicient individual retention of the cigarettes and disposal I of their exterior surfaces 5 in a fiush plane upon closing of the case, as shown in Figs. 2, 3. As herein indicated, the body of the case I is preferably made of suitable molded plastic material comprising the two receptacle parts 2,

According to the modification shown in Fig. 5, one end of the locking bar I is permanently held to one of the receptacles 2 by a spring-hinge !8, which normally disposes it under tension against the exterior surface of the receptacle, as shown by dash and dot lines, with its terminal !5 located in an indentation It. When the cigarette case i is opened to the condition shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to maintain it in open state, 'the bar 94 is swung away about hinge l8 and its terminal i5 is engaged with the indentation it of the opposite receptacle 2 for locking the case in this condition.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A cigarette case and server having the com bination of a pair of receptacles, each of said receptacles having integral therewith a series of projecting individual cigarette retainers disposed in the plane of the receptacle, said receptacles being hinged to each other to swing the back of one toward the back of the other from a common plane for causing disposal of each series of said retainers angular and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers and receptacles, said receptacles being swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, and said receptacles when in said alignment disposing all of their said retainers in a common plane for enclosure of the cigarettes.

2; A cigarette case and server having the combination of a pair of receptacles, each of said receptacles having a series of projecting individual cigarette retainers, said receptacles being hinged to each other to permit disposal of each series of said retainers angularly and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers, said receptacles being swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, said receptacles when in said alignment disposing all of their said retainers in a common plane for enclosure of the cigarettes, and spring means urging said receptacles to swing about their said hinging to their said aligned position.

3. A cigarette case and server having the combination of a pair of receptacles, each of said receptacles having a series of projecting individual cigarette retainers, said receptacles being hinged to each other to permit disposal of each series of said retainers angularly and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers, said receptacles being swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, said receptacles cigarette retainers, said receptacles being hinged to each other to permit disposal of each series of said retainers angularly and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers, said receptacles being swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, said receptacles when in said alignment disposing all of their said retainers in a common plane for enclosure of the cigarettes, and means for said receptacle to maintain them disposed angularly to each other for said disposal of said retainers angularly to each other for cigarette serving.

5. A cigarette case and server having the combination of a pair of receptacles, each of said receptacles having a series of projecting individual cigarette retainers, said receptacles being hinged to each other to permit disposal of each series of said retainers angularly and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers, said receptaclesbeing swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, said receptacles when in said alignment disposing all of their said retainers in a common plane for enclosure of the cigarettes, and an arm hinged to one of said receptacles having means to engage the other of said receptacles to maintain them disposed angularly to each other for disposal of said retainers angularly to each other for cigarette serving. v

6. A cigarette case and, server having the combination of a pair of receptacles, each of said receptacles having a series of projecting individual cigarette retainers, said receptacles being hinged to each other to permit disposal of each series of said retainers angularly and alternately to those of the other series for insertion and removal of individual cigarettes into and out of said retainers, said receptacles being swingable about their said hinging to a position in alignment with each other for closure of the case, said receptacles when in said alignment disposing all of their said retainers in a common plane for enclosure of the cigarettes, an arm hinged to one of said receptacles having means to engage the other of said receptacles to maintain them disposed angularly to each other for disposal of said retainers angularly to each other for cigarette serving and spring means to normally maintain said arm against said receptacles while they are in alignment with each other.

MAX LEVY.

ROBERT I. SI-IANK. 

